# Possible Mold In Humidor? First post!



## KnightHawk63 (Aug 11, 2014)

New post so bear with me! I'm also really interested in joining a cigar forum and this one seems rather nice  

Well today I noticed some really really light fuzzyness on the plastic grate of my puck humidifier and took it apart but didn't find any mold on the actual sponge part. I continued to look inside the humidor to see for any mold but I couldn't really see anything. When shining the light at certain angles it seems as if there is almost dust on the humidor cedar, but upon wiping with my finger it was still there. Is this just how the wood would look? Even scraping with my fingernail wouldn't remove the look but the oil from my finger seemed to make it look not as "dusty". I'm just concerned that maybe if this was mold that it spread to my humidor. But there's no obvious signs. My cigars have been fine as well, smoked the last one in my stash last night which was a La Aroma de Cuba robusto, very good! Humidity hasn't gone above 75%, I normally keep it around 69%. Am I just on a wild goose chase for nothing? I have 8 Victor Sinclair's I want to throw in there but I'm just concerned about that. I have a CI gel puck coming in so no more possible moldy sponge puck.

Thanks to all who help me out! I'll be hanging around I believe


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## Laynard (Oct 10, 2013)

First, :welcome:

Second, be sure to swing over to the New Puffer forum and introduce yourself.

Third, pics would really help us help you. It seems you know, those sponges are mold magnets, so it's good you're going with a different medium. In the mean time, if you have access to Boveda packs, you could always through your sticks in a tupperware (washed out so there is no plastic smell) with a pack while you figure out what's going on with the mold (or lack-thereof if that is the answer). I'm sorry I'm not more helpful, but there are many BOTLs here that are. Hang tight, an answer will come!


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

First of all, you've just joined the biggest and best tobacco hobbyist forum on the www. In addition, we are well-known for being the most tolerant, noob-friendly forum there is. We have and continue to work hard to establish and maintain a genuine sense of community here and everyone will attest to that fact. Welcome and congratulations on the best possible choice.

To address your issue, yep, it's mold. Those type humidifiers are notorious for growing mold. CHUCK IT IMMEDIATELY! If you so much as suspect that it even MIGHT have spread, you need to take action. The best way to rid yourself of this disorder is to get yourself some 190pf Everclear. Take a new, well-rinsed sponge (rinsed in distilled water) and dried. Damp the sponge and lightly wipe down all interior surfaces. This is pure grain alchohol, so it will leave no residue and dry almost instantly. After that, let the humidor sit open, with the brightest light you can beg, borrow, or steal (minimum 300watt) for 18-24 hours. Light kills mold, too. Once all that's done, you'll need to re-season the humidor, but you'll be mold-free.

The trouble with those gel crystal things is that they're not very effective at absorbing excess moisture. They really only release it. What that means is, if you happen to spike your RH, the only way to get rid of it is going to be to leave it open until it comes back down. That's why the majority of us use either 65% Heartfelt Humidity Beads, or Boveda packs (smaller applications). They are both effective at "two-way" humidification, but the HF beads are the superior choice.

Good luck!


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## Trackmyer (Jun 6, 2014)

^^ What he said.

Though for a new fella the Boveda may be a tad easier to maintain than the beads. No rehydrating or checking the color of beads to see if misting is required. Just toss in Boveda and done. Only need to rehydrate or replace it when it dries up flat.


And Most importantly. :welcome: Welcome to Puff eace:


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## copper0426 (Aug 15, 2012)

Welcome to Puff. I can only add listen to Don!


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## KnightHawk63 (Aug 11, 2014)

First off thank you all for the warm welcome and making me feel like I'm at home! I'll have to post in the intro section soon to give a brief run-down of myself and smoking experiences.

Secondly, I took some pictures of the humi, let me know what you think, the last picture is a real culprit picture IMO.



























Thirdly, I followed Herf's advice and ran out and grabbed a .375 bottle of Everclear, although in NC they do not permit anything above 151 proof to be sold. So alas, that's what I got. 151 proof Everclear, 75.5% alcohol so it should dry fast but probably a bit slower than the 95% of course. I have the new clean sponge drying after a nice distilled water bath. Going to steal my pet Beardie's heat lamp and have that to try out the humi once I'm done wiping it down. Anything else? Should I proceed with using this Everclear?

You guys have been great so far. I really appreciate everything. I recently got introduced to cigarbid so now I'm going a tad nuts. I really need a working humi :\


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

Welcome to Puff! Don has given you excellent advice, as always, but I fear if you've just discovered CBID that humidor is seriously lacking capacity.


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## imported_mark_j (Aug 18, 2013)

KnightHawk63 said:


> First off thank you all for the warm welcome and making me feel like I'm at home! I'll have to post in the intro section soon to give a brief run-down of myself and smoking experiences.
> 
> Secondly, I took some pictures of the humi, let me know what you think, the last picture is a real culprit picture IMO.
> 
> ...


I would follow previous advice in this thread + go one step further. Toss the cheap wooden humidor, switch to tupperware + boveda or heartfelt beads, and do some research on how you want to store cigars long-term.

GOOD wooden humidors (these are tricky to find), tupperware, coolers, and thermoelectric wine coolers are all good choices. I wasted money on two cheap humidors before I figured this out. Good luck, and welcome!

:welcome:


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

Not to add insult to injury but Mark is right ^^^^^

There are plenty of decent wooden humidors out there but looking at the photos of this one I dont even see a lip that should protrude from the box into the lid to give you a seal, this looks like its just the two flat surfaces which will just not do.

Another thing is the cheap hygrometers that come with the chinese made humidors are 1000% junk. You can get a decent digital that can be calibrated for ~$20-$25. Ive tried them all and the one that stands out of the crowd is the Caliber IV. It can be calibrated at any level of humidity (others are 75% only) and its accurate +/-1% guaranteed. No other manufacturer gives that tight of a tolerance.

Amazon.com - Caliber IV Digital Hygromter by Western Humidor -


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## KnightHawk63 (Aug 11, 2014)

I thought I had done my research a few years ago when I got the humidor at first, it does have a lip and a good seal (did the dollar test, the dollar drags the humidor across my wooden floor like a leash). I haven't had any issues with it until now but then again it's been really hot this summer here and the temp in my room is at a good 75-80 degrees during the day. I've only had to calibrate this hygro once, have done at least 3 tests to check it's calibration since I got it with the humidor, but I am looking into getting a digital so thanks for the tip!

Sorry if those pics don't give it justice, here's two more that shows the lip plus the grooves in the lid.















It's a Cuban Crafter's El Mio 25 count, the ratings are great for it besides the cheapo hygro and puck it came with, which I upgraded to the IQ puck, which didn't help since it started to mold. The original puck dried out and seized up, not retaining anymore water. I really like the humidor, the top is a very nice burl, photo or real, it's nice. The cedar always had a really nice scent to it as well. Hope I'm not sounding like it's all and mighty but I thought it was at least a tad quality /shrug

Anyways, what do you guys recommend in terms of tupperware? How big are we talking? What sizes do you tupperware user's use? Thanks!


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## imported_mark_j (Aug 18, 2013)

Sorry, I didn't mean to crap on your humidor, that was rude of me. If you do indeed have a good one, that is awesome. Wooden humidors, even some of the more economical ones, are nice to look at and use.

That said, once you get a piece of tupperware (as big as you need for right now), throw in a digital hygrometer (the Caliber IV linked by @JustinThyme is a good one and the same brand I use), and a 65% Boveda pack or two, you will not believe the ease of care, etc. A good airtight piece of tupperware with a two way humidity device like Boveda is so trouble and maintenance free....its just great piece of mind. But I am OCD and was always worried about my humidors, so the benefits to you may vary.


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## KnightHawk63 (Aug 11, 2014)

No hard feelings! I wasn't offended at all, I understand that it most likely is a Chinese humi which can be sketchy. I just really liked the looks plus the wood scent of it that's why I really wanted to keep a real wooden humidor. But tupperware sounds like such an easy way to do things. Those Broveda packets are expensive though! It says you need two and they are about $4 a pop on the bay of evil. And only last 3 months. I would prefer something rechargeable like this CI gel puck I have coming in, which is the same price as those two packets anyway. Meh. I'll see what I can do, really great suggestions though, I'll see what I can work out! Probably end up getting those packets anyway, now I just need to find a good sized tupperware container... hmmmm. Where to get that.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

Great, I see the lip now. I'm with you in that you cant replicate the effects of the Spanish cedar on the stogies. Sometimes I open my wood humis just to take a nice long whiff of the heavenly aroma coming out of them. Ive used tupperware some time ago when I ordered more than I had storage room for. Works great in a pinch and is cheap but not my personal favorite for long term storage. 

Stay away from the gel too. Another gimmick, most of it has the 50/50 propylene glycol mix for the 70%. You will find most here do 60% - 65%. There are a few reasons for this. It alleviates burn issues, it makes the sticks taste better (I get an acrid almost acidy taste from sticks in the 70% range) and the lower you go the less chance you have of mold and also if you keep the temp down along with the RH it prevents any tobacco beetle issues. I use two wineadors and keep them at 65F/65%RH for long term storage. Both are loaded with spanish cedar. I keep a 60 count that is not temp controlled as a smoke from humi. 

Two ways are preferable, either Boveda packs or HF beads. In a smaller humi like yours Boveda takes up less room. They can be recharged as they are two way devices. Ive done it several times and once left one recharging too long and it about burst at the seams. What the die hard boveda BOTLs do is buy at least double of what you need. Half is in the humi while the other half gets recharged. There are lots of eleborate setups for doing such but in the end all you really need is a sponge soaked with distilled water and a Ziploc. Just put the two in and check on it every few days. You will see them swell right back up.


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## KnightHawk63 (Aug 11, 2014)

It seems like I'm just throwing my money in all the wrong directions -_- I wonder if when I get this new puck, if I can open it up, dump the gel and maybe fill it with beads instead. Ideas... ideas. The Boveda packets are a good idea too now that I know they can be recharged. I definitely want to keep the humidity low to prevent any kind of growth so the 65% is a very good idea. As far as the humidor is concerned, I wiped it down completely with the Everclear 151, the wood looks more clean but still has that certain appearance to it so it can't be mold. Nothing looks like it's growing on the wood but it was best to be safe rather than sorry and risk any cigars. I'm still not sure if I'm going to use it right now. I think I'll just leave it open and have it air out, dry out, and have a bright light shown on it at night.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

Sorry for the frustrations. We have all been down that road at some point. Yes you can put HF beads in the puck. Ive done that several times with humis. Just take out the media thats in there and replace it. Works well in my Treasure Dome Humi and Adorini.

Better to be safe than sorry with the mold. It certainly wont hurt to get a dousing of light. If you have a nice sunny day outside that would be the ticket.

When you are all done make sure you check out Dons thread on seasoning. Its pretty darned spot on and seeing how he went through the trouble to write it up and all....

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/252258-new-humi-stop.html

For the graphically challenged he even included pictures!

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...5096-how-herf-n-turf-seasons-new-humidor.html


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## jacko (Jul 4, 2014)

I had humidity issues that brought on mold problems too, I went from sponge to gel to beads and beads are king ! I find them very easy to use and very accurate.


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## KnightHawk63 (Aug 11, 2014)

As an update. I completely wiped down the humidor with Everclear and sat it outside in the sun for about a day and a half. The sun is strong and hot here in NC plus it's been so hot outside that I doubt anything is still living in this humidor. It looks fine, still smells like cedar, no sign of any kind of growth. I have my new CI puck that uses gel beads as a humidifying medium, the hygro shows it currently at 63% steadily growing since I threw it in yesterday from a 45%. I'm going to calibrate the hygro this evening starting right now, should be ready to go by 12AM my time. I still need to invest in a digital hygro. I can already see the issues this humidifier medium will pose since it won't keep a constant Rh, it will just keep rising as long as I keep the lid shut, no bueno. The puck fits perfectly inside the slot its meant for, I think I will swap out the contents with something else, what do you all recommend? For now I have the cigars in a tupperware container. Nothing humidifying it, just sealing the life of the cigars as they are. Just received multiple packages this week from Cbid so they are rather soft and humid already. Keeping them in cello and locking them down to maintain freshness while the humidor seasons again.


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